Appalogue, an iPhone app that lets users read advertising catalogs on their mobile phone rather than receive them in the mail, hopes to make the printed catalog obsolete and save the environment in the process.
Brisbane based company Min-i-Mags has created the Appalogue iPhone app, that they claim will change the look of traditional shopping catalogues forever.
Entrepreneurs Jillian Manly and Belinda Taranaki say Appalogues will give the traditional paper catalogue, which is still the most popular medium for shoppers to browse products, a new lease of life and ensure it survives well into the 21st century by reducing its environmental impact.
“Shoppers love catalogues but the industry needs to change with billions of paper catalogues discarded, unused or simply pulped,” Ms Manly says.
“Consumers want an environmentally suitable option and mobile searching is such a huge growth industry and the Appalogue is a great meeting of need, opportunity and mobile solution.
“It’s an easy and convenient way to shop because you take it with you wherever you go and use it whenever you want, but it also helps unclutter the millions of mailboxes often stuffed with environmentally unfriendly printed material.”
The catalogue industry is currently Australia’s third largest consumer directed advertising medium in, following closely behind newspapers and TV with more than four billion catalogues handled by Australia Post alone in the past year, with even more being distributed via other channels.
“Our Appalogues contain products in categories with images, descriptions and the merchant’s online and other contact details,” Ms Manly says.
“Users can effortlessly browse through products offered by designers and manufacturers, both in Australia and internationally.
Ms Manly says the first appalogue to be launched, Min-i-mags 4 Mini People (mm4mp), will focus on stylish baby products including clothing, accessories, toys and entertainment.
“Soon you’ll be able to download a single app and then select the different product categories you want across travel, pets, essential services, golf, sports, fitness, electronics, food and discounts and a number of others in development.“
Ms Manly says the appalogue has the potential to bring consumers and businesses closer than ever, especially as many merchants struggle to find their consumer fan base.
“While developing an app is nothing new, Appalogues are targeted to a consumers browsing preferences, and for merchants it opens the mobile channel to their customers directly through a 24/7, global, fun, and interactive medium,” Ms Manly says.
The ‘MM4MP’ appalogue is free for users and can be downloaded directly from the iTunes App Store.
Small businesses interested in creating an ‘Appalogue’ should visit www.mm4mp.com for more information.
